RFQ for products to be deployed on Commercial
Advanced Lighting Control Demonstration
Projects – Responses to Questions
Updated 11/25/2014
Question:
Will exterior lighting controls be accepted and/or demonstrated?
Response:
All of the ten demonstration projects as part of this RFQ will be interior demonstrations.
Exterior demonstrations will be considered in the future, but manufacturers should not
submit products/proposals for exterior demonstrations at this time.
Question:
Can a manufacturer propose multiple solutions or products?
Response:
Yes, manufacturers may propose multiple solutions or products. However, each proposed
solution requires a separate proposal.
Question:
Question 13 of the Manufacturer Questionnaire states “What is the topology of the system
(Node-to-node, gateway-to-node)? A processor or controller are not gateways. Is the
question whether it is hierarchical or whether it has a flat topology? Can NEEP elaborate
on the intent of the question?
Response:
“gateway-to-node” is incorrect terminology. Question 13 should read: “What is the
network topology of the system (Bus, Ring, Star, Mesh, Partial Mesh, Hybrid, etc.)? A
revised Manufacturer Questionnaire has been posted to the NEEP website.
Question:
Question 16 of the Manufacturer Questionnaire states “What is your product’s method of
data encryption?” What part of the communication schema are you talking about?
Response:
Manufacturers should respond with any and all forms of encryption their product uses for
any or all parts of the communication schema.
Question:
Question 19 asks about estimated initial costs for “equipment, installation, and
commissioning” in new construction and retrofit projects, in terms of $/ft2. Does this
equipment cover all products like fixtures, gateways, and Ethernet wiring? Can NEEP
confirm the following definitions?
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships
91 Hartwell Avenue Lexington, MA 02421
P: 781.860.9177
www.neep.org
PAGE 2 OF 5
Equipment rate = (all costs of physical material someone must purchase) / (square feet of
area)
Installation rate = (all labor costs to install equipment above) / (square feet of area)
Commissioning rate = (price for an expert user to commission the advanced lighting
control system to a turnkey state) / (square feet of area)
Response:
NEEP is only looking for the costs associated with the advanced lighting controls including
gateways and Ethernet wiring but excluding the cost of the fixture or light source. For
manufacturers that sell their controls only as embedded systems within their light
fixtures, they should estimate the cost of the lighting controls alone with the fixture cost
removed when developing their equipment and installation costs.
The definitions provided for Equipment and Installation rate in the above question are
correct.
The Commissioning rate should be the cost associated with your most typical and/or
recommended method for commissioning your specific system, whether it is typically done
by an installing contractor, by a 3rd party commissioning agent, by the manufacturer, or
other alternatives. Your response to Question 19 should align with your response to
Question 22. NEEP provides the following clarifying definition for Commissioning rate:
Commissioning rate = (average or range of price for installing contractor or 3rd Party or
Manufacturer or other recommended party to commission system to fully commissioned,
turnkey state) / (square feet of area)
Question:
Question 23 of Manufacturer Questionnaire – can NEEP define “Lighting-as-a-Service
(LaaS)?
Response:
Lighting-as-a-Service refers to a type of business model that is generally new to the
lighting industry where the manufacturer (or associated party) provides services beyond
the sale of lighting equipment to an end-user. These services may include operation,
maintenance, leasing, and/or performance of the lighting system or even services to
support end-user business processes based on data that the lighting system collects. The
manufacturer is then paid contractually based on these services or the performance of
these services, rather than the traditional model of being paid based on equipment sales.
NEEP is particularly interested in this business model in the context of Advanced Lighting
Controls because it can potentially reduce or eliminate initial cost barriers, provide more
qualified support to install/operate/maintain Advanced Lighting Control systems, as well
as drive more sustainable manufacturing processes by creating an incentive for
manufacturers to re-use and re-cycle products since they may maintain ownership through
the full lifecycle of the product.
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships
91 Hartwell Avenue Lexington, MA 02421
P: 781.860.9177
www.neep.org
PAGE 3 OF 5
Question:
RFQ Page 7 of 10 – Installation and Commissioning Paragraphs. The outcome and price of a
project depend on the level of expertise of the installer. What steps will NEEP take to
ensure that all manufacturers responding are using the same level of installer?
Response:
NEEP cannot ensure that all demonstration projects will use the same level of installer.
However, NEEP will ensure that the responses the manufacturer provides to Questions 24,
33, 34 of the Manufacturer Questionnaire are incorporated into each demonstration
project for which that manufacturer’s product will be installed. This may include, for
example, pre-bid training and/or pre-wire training of the contractor. Further, NEEP will
incorporate requirements that the contractor demonstrate knowledge and experience in
installing Advanced Lighting Controls into the process NEEP uses to procure installation
contractors.
Question:
Re: Part C, Item 4 – High Costs. High Costs are defined in the RFQ to include material,
installation (labor) and commissioning. As we have learned over the years, the installation
cost can range significantly based on location, Union Labor vs. Non-Union Labor, and
installation time of day … off-hours vs. normal hours. What assumptions for installation
shall be used in the RFQ response? What City, Union or Non-Union, Off-Hours or Normal
Hours?
Response:
Question 19 of the Manufacturer Questionnaire calls for “either a range or average cost”.
Manufacturers can respond with a single range or average cost to include all potential
conditions (location, union vs. non-union, off-hours vs. normal hours), or they may provide
separate average or range of costs for union vs non-union or off-hours vs. normal hours, as
long as assumptions for each are provided.
Question:
How do you want “High Costs” represented in our response? The response will not have a
particular project example to quite the “High Costs”, so we can represent it in different
ways:
a. On a per fixture basis
b. On a per square foot basis
c. On a per 1000 fixtures basis
Response:
Question 19 of the Manufacturer Questionnaire provides information as to how the cost
information to be provided.
Question:
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships
91 Hartwell Avenue Lexington, MA 02421
P: 781.860.9177
www.neep.org
PAGE 4 OF 5
What are the maximum page limits of the proposal?
Response:
There are no page limits for the proposal. However proposals that are not written
concisely may receive lower scores in the area of “Proposal quality”.
Question:
Will multiple submissions be required to support multiple projects?
Response:
No. Multiple submissions are only required if the manufacturer is proposing multiple
solutions or product types to be demonstrated.
Question:
Should products in development, not currently commercialized, be submitted for these
projects?
Response:
Products must be fully commercialized and available by January 15, 2015. Products that
are not commercialized by this time will be removed from consideration.
It should also be noted that manufacturers that submit a proposal for a product that is not
yet commercialized without track record of successful installations may receive lower
scores in the area of “demonstrated… experience of company to support demonstration
projects…”
Question:
As there are retrofits involved, will 3rd party integration be required (example: shade
control, Building Management System Integration)?
Response:
3rd Party integration is not specifically required, however, manufacturers should provide
information on any capabilities of their system for 3rd Party integration in their response.
When it comes time to implement the demonstration projects, NEEP is utilizing a process
that first selects technologies, and then sites. Through this process, NEEP will ensure that
the requirements of selected sites match the capabilities of the selected product.
Question:
In the RFQ you mention how manufacturers are addressing security. We would like to
know if there are specific security/government certifications required for these projects.
For instance for US projects, the system needs to get approved by GSA.
Response:
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships
91 Hartwell Avenue Lexington, MA 02421
P: 781.860.9177
www.neep.org
PAGE 5 OF 5
There are no specific security/government certifications required, however,
manufacturers should provide information on any security/government certifications their
product has. Further as NEEP implements the process to select the demonstration sites,
NEEP will ensure the requirements of those sites match the capabilities of the selected
product.
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships
91 Hartwell Avenue Lexington, MA 02421
P: 781.860.9177
www.neep.org